Thursday May 29, 2014

Matthew 28: 16-20

Today's reading contains the last few words of St. Matthew's gospel.  The disciples have gathered in Galilee because the women in their group told them to.  These are the same women who went to Jesus' tomb after his crucifixion; first they met an angel and then the resurrected Jesus.  Both the angel and Jesus give them the same message - go tell the disciples to go to Galilee because they will see Jesus there.

So the women go tell the disciples; and the disciples go to Galilee. There Jesus appears to them on a mountain.  Mountains are important in Matthew's gospel; there is the mountain where Jesus is tempted, the sermon on the Mount, a mountain on which he feeds four thousand people, and one on which he is transfigured.  And in today's reading it is on a mountain that he meets his disciples and tells them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.  And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'  

You may have noticed that the word "go" is used a lot in this reading.  The women go to the tomb and then fearfully and joyfully go to tell the disciples to go to Galilee; the disciples go from Jerusalem to Galilee and when they see Jesus "they worshiped him, but some doubted".  And yet Jesus tells these doubting, fearful, hesitant followers - who are already being undermined by an intentional rumour that they had stolen Jesus' body - that they are ones to go and make disciples.

What about us?  Jesus is still telling us to go and make disciples in the face of fear, doubt, joy, hesitancy, or less than ideal circumstances.  What is our response?

Marilyn Malton